Message from Mr. Azimi
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Dear Thoreau Community:
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year. We opened our front doors on Monday to welcome over 1,330 seventh and eighth graders to Thoreau. I am delighted to have our returning families back and I extend a warm welcome to the new families of our community. As I enter my fifth school year at Thoreau, I remain privileged to serve as the principal of this fine school where students are respectful and eager to learn, our teachers and staff dedicate themselves to putting students first, and our parents provide unwavering support. It may sound like a cliché, but Thoreau really is a special place when you bring all these variables together.
I hope you will become a frequent reader of Thoreau Matters throughout the school year. This is the primary method by which I communicate school-wide news to the community. You can expect Thoreau Matters to be published every two weeks and we archive all of the issues on our website if you ever miss an issue and want to keep up with the news. Speaking of our website, I would encourage you to bookmark it as it is updated frequently so that you can rely on the latest dates and information; the address is thoreaums.fcps.edu. I hope that you will find both Thoreau Matters and our website to be two dependable and consistent ways in which to stay on top of news at Thoreau.
Finally, Back-to-School Night will be held next Wednesday, September 4th from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM. I cordially invite our parents/guardians to come that evening to have the opportunity to meet the wonderful teachers and staff who help make Thoreau a school of which we can all be proud. I wish all of our Golden Eagles a successful and happy school year and I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend ahead.
Sincerely,
Yusef Azimi
Upcoming Important Dates
- Friday, August 30th - Monday, September 2nd: Labor Day
- Wednesday, September 4th: Back to School Night, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
- Monday, September 23rd: First day of after-school programs and late buses.
 Even our school resource officer celebrated the first day of school!
Back-to-School Night (BTSN) Information
Back-to-School Night will be held on Wednesday, September 4th from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. In order to alleviate traffic in the Thoreau parking lot, we will offer parents a shuttle bus between Cunningham Park ES and Thoreau. The shuttle bus will run a continuous loop from Cunningham Park ES to Thoreau from 4:50 PM - 5:45 PM. At the conclusion of BTSN, the bus will run again at 7:30 PM from Thoreau and will loop back and forth until all parents have been returned to their cars at Cunningham Park ES.
Parking is also available in the back parking lot of the Church For All Nations. This is the lot further down on Amanda Place. Note: Any cars parked in the church's front lot that borders Cedar Lane are subject to towing.
ESOL Parent Meeting @ BTSN
Prior to the start of Back-to-School Night (BTSN), there will be a parent meeting for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students from 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM in room A101. Plan to attend to learn valuable information about Thoreau's ESOL services.
2019-2020 Electronic Device New Policy
(This is a repeat of Mr. Azimi's Friday, August 23rd message to the community.)
Dear Thoreau Community:
At Thoreau, we teach and promote appropriate digital citizenship to our students. We want to support them in their academic success, yet understand that electronic devices (like phones) can be a major temptation and distraction. FCPS released guidelines two weeks ago for all middle schools to start following a countywide consistent policy effective SY2019-2020 which is a significant change from last year. I have already shared this information with the Thoreau staff and now I would like to share it with our parent community. I will be sharing all of this with our students on the first day of school, but I wanted to provide parents the opportunity to review this with their children as well.
All electronic devices to include, but not limited to, phones, smart watches, airpods, tablets, etc., must be powered off and kept away for the duration of the school day in student-assigned lockers. Electronic devices may be used on campus before the 7:30 AM bell and after the 2:15 PM bell each school day. The use of social media, taking/posting pictures, playing games, and other technology features are not allowed during the school day. Thoreau and FCPS assume no liability for the loss or damage of a student's device. I ask that you support us in reminding your child to never share their locker combination with another student.
If a student chooses to use an electronic device, staff members will confiscate the device and bring it to the main office to be secured. Consequences for unauthorized use of electronic devices are as follows:
- 1st time: Student may retrieve his/her device at the end of the school day from the main office with a reminder of this policy. An email will be sent home to the student's parent/guardian as a courtesy notification.
- 2nd time: The student's parent/guardian will need to pick up the device from the main office. Please note that after the first infraction, the device will only be released to the student's parent/guardian.
- Subsequent infractions: The student's parent/guardian will need to pick up the device from the main office, as well as have a conference with the student's administrator. A consequence will be assigned.
As a community, I know we can continue to foster a focused and engaged learning environment which is our mutual goal at Thoreau. If there is a medical reason for your child to be exempted from this policy, please contact your child's school counselor. Thank you very much for your support.
Sincerely,
Yusef Azimi
 Thoreau's student services department has acquired a therapy dog, Jackson Granados, to be a part of their clinical team. Jackson will be at Thoreau part-time with school social worker Joy Granados visiting select classrooms, visiting with select students and in the hallways available to all students at arrival and dismissal times. Jackson has been certified as a therapy dog through Therapy Dog International and is up-to-date on all his vaccinations. Research has shown that petting a dog can decrease levels of stress hormones, regulate breathing, and lower blood pressure. It also promotes greater self-esteem and focused interaction with other students and teachers. We welcome Jackson!
My School Bucks (MSB) Update
MSB will not be available for parents to pay student class fees until after Saturday, September 7th. Please visit My School Bucks at that time. The school store is open for other purchases.
After-School Activities Information
The after-school activities program will begin at Thoreau on Monday, September 23rd. For planning purposes, the last day of after-school activities is Thursday, May 28th. The after-school program will not meet on student holidays, or during inclement weather cancellations. In addition, there will be no after-school activities or buses on the following dates:
- Friday, October 11th
- Friday, November 1st
- Monday, November 25th - Tuesday, November 26th
- Friday, December 20th
- Friday, January 17th
- Friday, February 14th
- Friday, April 3rd
- Friday, May 22nd
More information about Thoreau's after-school program will be available soon.
Thoreau Kiss-and-Ride
For AM and PM Kiss-and-Ride, please note that the Church for All Nations is not available as a drop-off/pick-up location for Thoreau students. This is not FCPS property and they consider it trespassing. The Thoreau Administration appreciates your cooperation in being respectful of our neighbors.
Thoreau Theatre News
Thoreau’s winter musical this year is Singin’ in the Rain! Audition spots will fill up fast, so don’t wait! Tech team and acting audition signups are available to all Thoreau students outside of room C107.
Technical team interviews will take place:
- Monday, September 16th
- Wednesday, September 18th
- Thursday, September 19th
Acting auditions will take place:
- Monday, September 23th
- Wednesday, September 25th
- Thursday, September 26th
Go to the theatre department website at www.thoreaudrama.com for more information and requirements.
2019-2020 Thoreau Yearbook
The yearbook committee is trying to put together an awesome first day of school page for our yearbook. If you have any first day pictures, please send them to Thoreau yearbook sponsor Ms. Galeet BenZion at gbenzion@fcps.edu.
 Students in Ms. Eshbaugh's art classes participated in art escape room challenges on the first day of school. An art heist occurred and students had to figure out the famous art work stolen, the artist who made the piece and the museum where it was located.
Navy Federal 5K Run/Walk
Navy Federal Credit Union will sponsor a 5K run/walk on Saturday, September 14th beginning at 9:00 AM. The intention of the race is to bring the community together to raise money for the Committee for Helping Others, but also to promote physical activity and health among NFCU employees, NFCU members and the community. There is an expected 1,000 participants this year! Navy Federal is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization and the Committee for Helping Others (CHO) is an all-volunteer organization that provides assistance such as food, clothing, transportation, furniture, and Meals-on-Wheels to local neighbors in need. To register visit, navyfederal.org/5k.
PTA News and Announcements
On behalf of the Thoreau PTA, I would like to welcome both new and returning families as we begin the 2019-20 school year! As Thoreau continues to grow with the addition of new students and staff, our PTA encourages you to get informed, involved, and inspired with our community! The Thoreau PTA hosts several annual community activities, including an autumn dinner for 7th grade students and their families, the Crosstown Hoops basketball tournament, a challenging Spelling Bee, and a year-end celebration for 8th grade students. We engage families in providing volunteer and financial support to the school when needed, and in treating the Thoreau staff to wonderful goodies throughout the year.
Please consider joining the PTA and making a donation to our no-fuss fundraiser. Most of our funds are raised through direct donations, and we are very grateful for your support.
If you aren’t already receiving our weekly PTA newsletter, you can subscribe on the PTA website. You can also follow the Thoreau PTA on Facebook for the fastest way to be connected to info about activities and volunteer opportunities.
Our first PTA meeting of the year will be held at Thoreau on Tuesday, September 10th at 9:30 AM. We hope you will join us!
Sincerely,
Andrea Kramer
Thoreau PTA President
president@thoreaupta.org
2019-20 PTA Board Members
Andrea Kramer, President
Irina Smirnoff, Vice President
Amy Vernon, Treasurer
Wendy Pearson, Secretary
Thoreau Food Program
In partnership with the PTA, Thoreau Student Services will be packaging and sending home weekend food bags for families in need. We are looking for donations of non-perishable food items as identified on this Amazon shopping list. For your convenience, these items may be ordered from Amazon and delivered directly to the school. Donations may also be purchased and dropped off in the Thoreau front office to the attention of Director of Student Services Rebecca Aguilar. Gift cards are also greatly appreciated.
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